Thermal imaging cameras are used to observe temperature variations in a variety of situations. For example, thermal imaging cameras are often used during maintenance inspections to thermally inspect equipment. Example equipment may include rotating machinery, electrical panels, or rows of circuit breakers, among other types of equipment. Thermal inspections can detect equipment hot spots such as overheating machinery or electrical components, helping to ensure timely repair or replacement of the overheating equipment before a more significant problem develops.
Thermal imaging cameras include sensors for detecting infrared energy in a scene being viewed by the camera. An example of such a sensor is a focal plane array (FPA) which generates an electrical signal in response to infrared energy received through the camera lens. The FPA includes sensor elements, such as bolometers or photon detectors, and each such sensor element may be referred to as a sensor pixel. The electrical resistance or voltage of the sensor pixels changes in response to infrared energy and can therefore be used to generate a thermal image or thermogram.
While the thermal images provided by thermal imaging cameras are very useful, they include an abundance of information and therefore can be complex. As a result, the full scope of information provided by a thermal image may not be easily understood by a user. It is therefore advantageous to present thermal images to users in ways that allow the users to more readily observe and understand the temperature information provided by a thermal image.